Runnin' Home to You
by steepedinshadows419
Summary: 3x21 - Canon Divergent - What if Team Flash decided to keep Barry from remembering until after May 23rd? Barry/Iris. Multi-Chap.
1. Can't Say How the Days Will Unfold

**A/N** : Written for the _Runnin' Home to You_ challenge on westallenfun's tumblr blog. This is a canon divergent fic initially set in 3x21 where Team Flash inevitably decides to keep Barry from remembering any of his past memories until after Iris is supposed to die, so that Savitar won't ever remember and he will just disintegrate without even realizing what's happening. The canon divergence in this first chap (since most of it is word-for-word what happened in the scene in the episode) is just the fact that Barry didn't sweat on his glasses while he was testifying, so everything went as planned in that regard. Heat Monger did not go free.

 ***** Many thanks to my amazing beta, **sendtherain** , who looked this over for me.

 ***** I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.

...

 **Chapter 1 -** _Can't Say How the Days Will Unfold_

The babbling euphoria that had followed her all the way home continued as she unlocked the door to their loft, walked inside, and closed it behind Barry.

"I put away a bad guy, Iris. How cool is that? A for-real bad guy. A bad guy that burns things down purposely to hurt people – and sometimes kill them. I put him away with my super cool science-y knowledge about flames and stuff."

Iris smiled to herself and slipped out of her jacket, setting it aside before turning back to him.

"If it hadn't been for those glasses though, we probably wouldn't have been so lucky. I do not remember _any_ of that technical stuff I was expected to know. If I'd gotten those glasses wet somehow…" he sighed. "I'd have probably said something really dumb like the flames being 'very yellow' was proof. And then this guy would've gone _free_."

The distinct frown on his face just by mentioning the possibility of the criminal on the loose made Iris want to hug him.

"But that didn't happen, remember?" She smiled reassuringly when he met her eyes, and the crease in his forehead faded. "You did _great_ on the stand, Barry. I heard all about your victory from Cisco and Julian. Cecile was particularly grateful."

The reoccurring confusion coloring his features since the moment his amnesia had set in returned to Barry's face.

"Who?"

"Which ones don't you remember?" Iris asked, fighting a grin.

He sighed, aggravated with himself.

"All of them?"

She laughed and steeled herself for the rundown.

"Well, Cisco is your best friend."

"Cisco is my best friend…" Barry whispered under his breath, clearly tucking that knowledge away for later.

"Julian is your CSI co-worker."

"CSI co-worker…"

"And the woman who called you to the stand to testify is Cecile. Who, by the way, is also dating my dad."

An extended pause, and then, "Huh." _Not_ Felicia, he thought to himself.

Iris shook her head, then smiled and ran her hand over his arm.

"Don't worry. We'll get your memories back eventually, and then you won't need these constant reminders."

"Right."

Iris flipped on the light switch and started to walk into the living room. Barry's eyes widened at the space before them, completely unaware of Iris taking in his reaction.

"This is our place?" he asked, walking past her into the room. "How do we afford to live here?"

Iris stayed mum, deciding the explanation was a little too complex for this Barry to handle at the moment.

"Wow," he marveled. "You have great taste."

She followed his eyes as they soaked up the room.

"Uh…actually, this is all you."

"I find that hard to believe."

She laughed, unable to suppress it through her smile.

"Is that me?" he asked, his eyes now on the photo frames set on the shelf against the wall. He picked up the one of him as a small child, seemingly unable to look away.

"Yeah," she confirmed, watching him.

"Who are these people?" he asked, picking up the next one.

"They're your parents," she answered, then hesitated. "You don't remember anything about what happened?"

"Why? Did something bad happen?"

The look on his face gutted her. He didn't remember two of the most painful memories of his life. The two losses that devastated him so completely, he'd actively chosen to erase the life he'd been given just for the chance to see them again.

She couldn't remind him of that now. He was so pure and innocent, unaware of the troubles and burdens that weighed him down on a daily basis.

But could she lie so blatantly to him? What if he wanted to see his deceased relatives? Would he question her honesty? Her genuine desire to help him remember?

"They died," she said, mentally patting herself on the back for telling the truth. "It was unexpected," she continued, "but they died peacefully." She ignored the angel scolding her in her mind, grateful Barry had returned his focus to the picture in his hands.

"That's when you came to live with Joe and me." _Covering up your white lie with a truth. Good job, Iris._

Barry smiled fondly at the picture and set it back down, returning to her.

"And that's when we met?" he asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Uh, no, actually we were friends before then," she said cheerfully, glad for the change in subject. "I remember the first time I saw you. You were the happiest boy that I had ever met."

Her eyes sparkled as she recalled the memory, and she knew she was beaming. It was hard not to when he was looking at her the way that he was. Like nothing in the world could get him to look away.

"I have a feeling that's because you entered my life."

Iris fell silent, touched by the certainty in his assumption. The words were so genuinely sweet. Even without his memory, he still managed to take her breath away.

Cautious as ever, Barry's confidence faltered slightly as he lowered his head to kiss her. He pulled back almost immediately, unsure if he was crossing a line. They were engaged, so he knew he probably didn't need permission to kiss her. But he didn't remember any of that. It was his first kiss to him. And not just with her, but with _anyone_.

Iris raised her eyebrows, slightly amused at his hesitancy, but she nodded her head reassuringly.

"It's okay."

Encouraged, he lowered his head again, letting his hand slide to her waist as he kissed her, while hers grazed the side of his face. He moved the angle of his head when she did, following the nonverbal lead she was giving him, thrilling in the taste of her lips on his, forgetting how awkwardly he must be responding to her. He never wanted to stop kissing her.

But the sudden vibrations from the hand that wasn't wrapped around her made him pull back, confusing her as well.

"What the…?"

And then he was across the room. From one side to the next and back again. He was by Iris's side, circling around her, but she wasn't moving. She stood exactly as he'd left her, one hand still trying to reach for him after he ended their kiss.

And then he was falling over the couch on the far side of the room, knocking over several items in the process, a lamp included.

Time resumed.

"Barry, are you okay?" Iris raced to him, halting on the other side of the couch.

Their kiss forgotten, and his mind spinning, Barry threw up his hands and stared straight at her.

"What just happened to me?"

Iris's jaw dropped, and her eyes widened significantly. It was a look he hadn't seen from her at all today – or from anyone. It wasn't the you-don't-remember-this shock or the that's-what-you-remember shock.

It was recognition.

He had tapped into a memory.

...

 **A/N:** In case you didn't pick it up, every chapter title of this multi fic will be a line from Barry's song to Iris, _Runnin' Home to You_. Ten chapters are planned.


	2. Can't Change What the Future May Hold

**A/N:** The scene w/ Killer Frost discussing why getting Barry's memories back ASAP is a necessity (which followed up the scene in the previous chapter) should be assumed as having taken place exactly when and how it was in the episode. This chapter begins near the end of the scene following that where Joe and Iris are discussing Barry's condition while he runs in the speed lab. It becomes canon divergent when it continues past what the episode showed us. Everything that took place in the episode in between the scene in the first chapter and this chapter is the same.

 ***** I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.

 ***** Many thanks to my awesome beta, **sendtherain** , for being wonderful and looking this over for me. :)

...

 **Chapter 2** \- _Can't Change What the Future May Hold_

"You don't want his memory restored, do you?"

She should've known her dad would connect the dots. He always knew her so well, sometimes better than Barry. But it did make things difficult. It made it impossible to deny the secret she harbored inside, the one she'd been trying to ignore because of the implications it held.

"Dad, I…I can't say seeing him happy and light isn't something that I have wished for him, because yeah, it is."

"Sweetheart, I wish that for him too. But you didn't fall in love with the Flash. You fell in love with Barry Allen."

A fact she was aware of, but not something she couldn't tackle – or wasn't willing to combat.

"Dad, I know this is a different version of him, but he's…" She thought of his laugh, his instinct to help, his smile, the way he looked at her, the way he kissed her, the way her heart beat faster every time his body moved closer to hers. "He's still Barry."

"No, he's not, honey."

 _How is he not?_ Her eyes bored into him, wanting an answer she knew he wouldn't give.

"Look, up until yesterday Barry had twenty-eight years of experiences to define him. And some of those memories were bad, but some were good too. But without those memories, the Barry Allen we know and love…is gone."

She hated when he was right. It didn't change how she felt though, or the pain that already arced through her imagining this happy-go-lucky version of Barry suddenly laden down with the weight of past tragedies and regret. It broke her heart. She was on the verge of tears even now.

Barry's _woo-hoo_ as he ran even faster could be heard from the tunnel above them.

"I don't know, Dad." She walked away from him, creating space. Her eyes watched the tube where Barry ran. "You know part of me can't help but think that this is some sort of gift, you know? That _this_ is the life that he was supposed to have."

Her dad didn't respond to that. She was grateful. She had no other arguments to offer up except the ones she'd already given him. She was scared to death of dying, but her shoulders slumped and tears nearly rose to the surface every time she saw her Barry sunken in on himself when he thought she wasn't looking.

"I agree with Iris," a familiar voice sounded, the presence of the person who accompanied it striding towards them.

"Wally," Iris said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Did something happen?" Joe asked, his hand already on his gun.

"No, no, nothing like that," he assured them, gesturing for his dad to relax, which gradually he did. "Caitlin…or Killer Frost…or whoever is working with Cisco and Julian to come up with a way to get his memories back. From what I could tell when I left, she's behaving. She wants Barry's memories back so Savitar will have his memories back, so he can…" He fell silent.

"Kill me," Iris finished quietly.

Wally didn't respond to that.

"Barry won't let that happen," Joe said confidently. "Once he gets his memories back, we'll be back on track to finding a way to defeat Savitar. Everything will be fine."

"But what if it isn't?" Wally's eyes held as much painful depth as Iris knew were in hers. "What if we do everything we can and Iris still dies?"

Iris looked away, aware of his gaze traveling to her downcast face.

He took a breath. "I know Barry is going to do everything in his power to keep you safe. We all are working together to make that a certainty. But Savitar has always been one step ahead. And after what we did to Barry's memories, I don't think we want to risk tampering with them again just to put Cisco's proposal to the test."

"No," Iris said instantly. "We're not messing with his brain again. Who knows what damage we'll do if we tried a second time. It's not like we have a scientist we can trust to help us out with it, at any rate."

"Right. Which is why I think we need to hold off trying to get Barry's memories back. At least until after you're supposed to die." Iris's gaze lifted to Wally's a beat before he looked back at Joe. "Savitar won't exist. He won't even try to kill Iris. After we're sure he's gone for good, we'll get Barry's memory back using whatever technology Cisco and Julian are figuring out with Caitlin right now."

"What makes you think she'll go along with this plan once she knows what we're up to? Whatever she wants from Savitar, she won't get it if he disintegrates before she gets it."

"That's why we won't tell her. We'll let her figure it out, tell us how it works, and then we won't use it until after May 23rd. We can lock Caitlin in the pipeline or even let her leave. It won't matter. She can't get Savitar to remember anything if Barry doesn't first."

Iris turned to her dad, hopeful. With Wally on her side, and with such great logic to accompany him, how could he not seriously consider it?

Joe gazed at the two of them for a long while before answering.

"You do know that if Savitar never remembers, you'll never get your powers back, right?"

Wally shrunk back a little but nodded. "I know." His eyes fixed on Iris. "But this is more important."

"Wally—" Iris's voice broke, but he brushed her off.

"There are other ways to help people than with super speed. As dad told me many times before I got my powers." He locked eyes with Joe, urging him to agree, ignoring the guilt clear on Iris's face.

"And what about Central City needing the Flash? You can't teach him everything he needs to know before the next metahuman criminal needs to be stopped."

"I know. But I think you guys are forgetting something very important."

Joe and Iris shared a look and then looked at him confused.

"Me, Barry, Jay… there's one more speedster out there." Wally didn't wait for the look of dawning realization to quiet on his family's faces. "And I know she'd be willing to help." He paused. "Iris." He took a step towards her. "The best way to lift the weight off Barry's shoulders and save you from being murdered in a month is for me to get Jesse, have her protect the city and help me train Barry to be the Flash he's always been. And once you're safe, we'll get Barry's memories back." He lifted his hand to her face and brushed his thumb against her cheek. "And then you can both plan the wedding of your dreams."

Iris's breath caught in her throat, but before she could respond –

"Let's do it."

Startled, all three Wests turned to see who had spoken. It was Barry, no longer running to his heart's content in the speed tunnel above them.

"Barry." Iris stepped away from Wally and closed some of the distance between her and her fiancé. "How much did you—"

"I heard enough," he said fiercely. "You're not going to be murdered, Iris." He took her hands in his own. "I would rather go without my memories for the rest of my life than to see that happen to you. And I know that the me with my memories would say the exact same thing."

Caught up in him, Iris kept half her mind focused on any interjection that might be voiced from her father, but there was none.

"You should know the situation, Barry."

He shook his head. "No. I told you I don't want my memories back until you're safe."

She smiled sadly and took his hands in her own.

"Telling you what happened isn't going to make you remember it as a memory, Barry." She gestured to the hall leading outside the speed lab. "C'mon."

Reluctantly Barry let Iris lead him out of the room, worry and uncertainty spreading through him when Iris looked over her shoulder to share a look with her father and brother.

"I won't change my mind about this, Iris," he said adamantly as soon as they were out of sight. "If anything, knowing all the details about the situation will only make me more convinced not to get my memories back."

Iris forced a smile. "I know. You're probably right. But you should still know."

Barry sighed and nodded, accepting the inevitable. "Alright. Who's Savitar?"

...

 **A/N:** Starting in chapter three, EVERYTHING will be canon divergent. This is the last chapter that contains word-for-word material from the episode in the same setting as it was shown to us when it aired.


	3. But I Want You In It

**A/N:** So, I know I said everything else in this fic would be 100% canon divergent, but...I did steal some lines from the episode in this chap as well. Lol. But it's more a replacement scene than anything else. This chap replaces the scene from the episode where Joe  & Iris tell Barry he's a superhero. The canon divergence is that Joe isn't present and Iris is also telling Barry about who Savitar is in addition to that he's a superhero. This chap immediately picks up where chapter two left off.

 ***** I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.

 ***** Big thank you to my beta, **sendtherain** , for looking this over. :)

...

 **Chapter 3** \- _But I Want You In It_

Once in the cortex, Iris decided to backtrack and explain to her amnesiac fiancé what having his super speed actually meant. There was no way Barry would understand who Savitar was if he didn't first understand who he was.

"So, I _am_ a superhero," Barry said, wanting to be clear.

"Yeah," she confirmed. "And a really good one too."

"Huh."

She waited a beat before proceeding with semi-dramatic flair.

"You're the Flash!"

Barry's face scrunched up as he considered that new knowledge.

"You sure the _Streak_ isn't a better name, maybe?"

Iris's jaw dropped briefly, the significance of his words not lost on her.

"Uh…it actually…was your name for a time," she admitted, a smile sneaking through despite herself.

Barry's brows furrowed. "Why did we change it?"

She cleared her throat. " _You_ actually didn't like it."

He gawked, not saying anything.

"I started writing about you, the superhero, before I knew it was you, and I gave you the name the Streak. But you not so subtly suggested the Flash, and it caught on. Later you told me how very glad you were that we'd gotten rid of that first title."

Barry folded his arms across his chest, annoyed.

"I don't think I want my memories back now even if there _were_ no repercussions."

Iris's beaming smile slowly faded as Barry's next words slipped past his lips.

"What does me being a superhero have to do with Savitar?"

She swallowed hard, waiting a few painfully long seconds before proceeding.

"Well…Barry, you're a speedster."

"A speedster?"

She nodded. "That's what we've labeled metahumans who have super speed."

"Metahumans."

"People who were affected by the particle accelerator explosion and have powers now. Most of them are villains, but some are good."

"Like me."

Her smile returned. "Like you."

"And like Wally."

"Yes."

"But we're…speedsters."

"You are."

"Are only speedsters good?"

She frowned and started to build a case in her mind for the good metas, which Cisco was and once upon a time Caitlin had been. But she shook her head.

"No. But, that's…I can explain all of that to you later, okay?" She took his hands in her own. "I brought you here where we can be alone, so I can tell you about Savitar."

His brows furrowed. "Why do we need to be alone for that? N-not that I mind!" he said quickly.

Iris forced a smile. "Because it's hard to talk about, Bear."

Confusion flitted across his face again. Iris knew the reason why.

"It's a nickname I gave you when we were kids." She shrugged and let out a strangled laugh. "It stuck."

His thumbs moved gently across her skin.

"Tell me about Savitar. Why does he want to kill you? Because you're important to me? Because we're getting married? Because I love you? Why does that make him angry?"

Iris's breath caught in her throat as each question sounded in her ears. He was so sure of it. That she was important to him. That they were getting married – well, there was proof of that in the ring on her finger, but still. That he loved her. He was so sure that he loved her, even though he hadn't even known her a full day.

And yet, he couldn't understand why something so pure would make a bad guy upset.

This version of Barry was so innocent. He was everything Barry could have been if that particle accelerator had never exploded across Central City.

"Bad guys want to hurt the good guys, Barry. So, they take what they love."

The truth behind Henry and Nora's deaths briefly zipped through her mind, reminding her that she'd lied. But she ignored the facts and kept going. Maybe she'd tell him more later, but for now the origin of Savitar was enough.

"And that's why Savitar wants to kill you? To hurt me?"

She swallowed hard. "Not just that." Barry raised his eyebrows, waiting. "He…I need to die for him to exist."

"Why?" he asked, oblivious to the way her voice was starting to hitch with every word she said.

"Because… Because he's the result of what happens to you if I die."

He frowned. "I don't understand," he said, but she knew he was starting to. She could feel his hands clenching and unclenching in her grip.

"It's hard to explain…" she trailed off, unsure if she could go on. "There are these things called time remnants…"

" _Time remnants_?" He nearly dropped her hands the term was so mindboggling to him.

"Yeah, they're the…uh…result of going back in time and taking a past version of yourself and bringing it to the present to—"

"Wait a second." He dropped her hands. "I can _time travel_?"

 _You'll never explain it to him at this rate_ , the little voice inside her said.

She knew it was true, but she wanted so badly not to make him feel guilty. She wanted this Barry to stay happy for as long as he could.

"Yes. But, Barry—"

He blushed briefly and cleared his throat.

"Right. Sorry. You'll explain later. Keep going."

She smiled tremulously.

"In the future…when Savitar kills me, you create time remnants to go back in time to save me. But almost all of them die, and the one who doesn't…gets rejected by everyone here after my death. And eventually he becomes Savitar."

The expression on Barry's face so clearly showed that he had about a million and one questions for everything she'd just said, but there was one conclusion he'd come to that she was hoping he wouldn't. Even if she knew it was true to an extent.

 _I-I know it's not you. I know-_

 _Part of him is._

"So _I_ kill you," he said, his voice numb, his shoulders slumped, his eyes nearly void of emotion because her initial silence following the statement spoke volumes, and they both knew it.

He might not have his memories, but he looked so much like the Barry that did that Iris wanted to cry. She wanted to scream and throw things and undo what she'd said in the hopes that somehow, she'd say it better, in a way that maybe wouldn't hurt so much. Because _this_ , right here, was what she'd been trying to avoid.

Instead she stood there and watched him as her heart crumbled into tiny pieces.

"Bar—" she tried, forcing herself to find her voice. She jolted forward in a panic when he started to back away from her. "Barry, no. Wait. Stay, please."

He stopped, but she could see how tense he was. His frame was rigid. It seemed unnatural, and he refused to look at her.

"I don't understand," he said in a low gravelly voice that was still filled with heartbreak. "How could _I_ kill you?" Hesitantly, he looked up at her. "I love you."

Iris was torn again between being moved by his certainty of the latter fact and feeling helpless at the prospect of successfully answering the former. She wanted the answer as badly as he did. They all did.

 _It's not you._

 _It's a time remnant._

 _It's not going to happen._

 _You could never do this._

All good, reassuring thoughts that she could say, but she knew it would only fuel more confusion and frustration in him. Maybe even anger. She didn't want that. She wanted to bring the smile back to his face.

Thankfully he saved her from having to come up with an answer by coming back to her with fierce determination in his eyes and confidence in his step.

"I want you in my life, Iris. I want you in my _future_. I want you to _have_ a future." He took her hands and gripped them tightly. "Tell me how to stop this."

She swallowed hard and smiled tremulously.

"We keep you from remembering," she said simply, then paused a beat. "And we tell the others."

" _All_ of them?" he hedged worriedly.

She smiled encouragingly. "Just our friends and family."

He nodded, released one of her hands, and intertwined their fingers in the other. Then he gestured away from them.

"Lead the way."


	4. Every Hour, Every Minute

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay. It's been a busy month. No context needed for this chap (or any going forward, I'm pretty sure). Enjoy!

 ***** Many thanks to **sendtherain** for looking this over for me. :)

 ***** I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.

...

 **Chapter 4 - Every Hour, Every Minute**

"So, you _don't_ want us to try and get his memories back?"

Cisco directed his question at both of them, but he was looking at Iris.

Barry and Iris shared a look.

"Well—"

"See, I'm just trying to wrap my head around this, because I thought Icy Hands over here made a pretty good argument for why getting Barry's memories back as soon as possible is pretty much a necessity."

Barry followed Cisco's blind gesture to the hall where presumably 'Icy Hands' was still working on some sort of device that would restore his memories.

"Ice…Icy Ha—" He lowered his voice and whispered near Iris's ear. "Is that her name—Icy-"

" _Barry_."

"Sorry," he said quickly and promptly pursed his lips tightly so he wouldn't make a sound.

Iris took a breath.

"It wouldn't be forever, Cisco."

Cisco folded his arms across his chest.

"Just until after I'm… after Savitar…" she couldn't finish, and Cisco sobered. "I mean, there isn't a chance he'll forget and…never remember, is there? I mean, because we haven't tried to retrieve his memories in so long?"

"No, I don't think so," Julian chirped, finally joining the group after presumably having come up with a good enough to reason to leave without causing suspicion from their icy friend.

Cisco glanced over at his shoulder at him. "What'd you do?"

"Apparently recalling all the things I love about her – her being _Caitlin_ , of course – makes her nauseous. She told me to leave."

"Man, that sucks," Barry said without thinking. Cisco and Julian's fixed stares on him made him purse his lips again after a quick "sorry" muttered under his breath.

"Back to Barry's memories," Iris interjected. She fixed her eyes on Julian. "Can you be certain?"

"I'm a CSI, Iris. I deal in forensic science, not…neurology."

"And yet, both of you did a presentation on how to prevent Barry from retaining any _new_ memories," Joe said, stifled irritation in the statement. "And look!" He gestured to Barry. "Long term memory loss."

"I—" Barry tried, but Iris squeezed his hand to stop him, and he retreated back into silence.

"In my _defense_ ," Cisco started, but nothing followed, especially not after the simultaneous pronounced eyebrow raising of all the Wests before him.

"Iris," Julian began, his voice softer this time. "I can't be 100% sure, but people lose their memories for a variety of reasons all the time. Whether it's…waking up from a coma, getting hit really hard on the head, going through a traumatic experience and just shutting down, sometimes a side effect from surgery. I'm sure in a lot of cases doctors do whatever they can medically to make them remember, but a lot of times family and friends just try by reminding them who they are.

That hasn't been successful with Barry, and it probably won't be. We need whatever Caitlin is making to get Barry to remember everything about who he is without us telling him. He needs to remember those things as memories from his past, not just memories of us telling him."

"And if we delay?" she asked again, weariness evident in her voice.

Barry felt an inexplicable urge to pull her closer and rub her back. He nearly did it until Iris's hand tightening on his reminded him this was not the time or the place to get even remotely intimate with her. He squeezed her fingers in response and hoped that would be encouragement enough.

"Everything's a risk, Iris," Wally said when neither of their proclaimed 'scientists' spoke up. He gave her a reassuring smile when her gaze fixed on his. "If we do this, you both live. Isn't that the ultimate goal here?"

Reluctantly Iris nodded. "Yes, you're right, of course."

She turned to face Barry. "You still in?"

"Absolutely," he said without hesitation.

"You're the love of his life," Wally said, making them both turn towards him. "He'd do anything for you." He paused, a small smile breaking through. "Even if he doesn't remember why."

"Wally, I…" Iris tried, truly touched by his sentiment, but he brushed it off.

"I need your help," Wally said, now addressing Cisco.

Cisco's pointed at himself questioningly. "My help? Why do you need me?"

"We need ourselves another Flash," he grinned, his smile spreading wide across his beaming face. "You know," he cleared his throat in an attempt to compose himself, "until Barry's up to speed with what he can do again."

"Another Flash," Cisco said numbly. "But we don't know…" He stopped himself, then started snapping his fingers when the realization dawned.

"Yes. _Yes_." He closed the distanced between them and clutched Wally's arms, giving them a little shake. "You are a _genius_. I _knew_ she'd come in handy one day."

Wally gave him a borderline offended look, to which Cisco released him and gently patted down his shirt.

"Not that we want her just for her powers… What I meant to say is—"

"Cisco." Joe halted the conversation.

"Yes." Cisco snapped to attention, meeting Joe's glare with a worried look of his own.

"Get Jesse."

"Getting Jesse."

Cisco wrapped his hand around Wally's arm and steered him out of the room. Joe nudged Julian back in the direction of the supervillain who was hopefully unaware of their discussion, glancing back only once at the pair before making his way down the corridor.

"Who is Jesse again?" Barry asked, hating to ask questions but feeling safe enough to do so when it was just the two of them.

"Another speedster," she said.

He waited for the other shoe to drop. "And?"

"And Wally's girlfriend." She smiled.

"Ah." He smiled too, but not just for Wally and Jesse's happiness. He smiled for Iris. He liked how a smile looked on her and wanted to keep it there as long as possible. "That explains the, uh…"

"Yeah." She laughed. " _Enthusiasm_."

"So, he's got ulterior motives for wanting to keep my brain wiped."

She laughed again. "Wouldn't you?"

Barry sobered up as he took her in; beautiful smile, dazzling eyes, a heart that could melt stone.

"Yeah," he said. "I would."


End file.
